We set off after a delicious breakfast and a chat with the other, very sweet couple that were staying at the bed and breakfast. They were having time out away from their two year old before attending a church retreat. She was a Lord of the Rings fan and mentioned that when we said we were from Wellington.

We only had to reach Ancona, about 30km away, to board the ferry at 8pm. We reached Ancona at around 11am, after a beautiful ride along the coast. The ride was hilly but manageable, with some beautiful outlooks over the sea. As on the previous Saturday we spent in Italy, we noticed many Saturday cyclists, all dressed up in Lycra with stylish sunglasses and gear.

Ancona was fairly busy and not cycle friendly with many potholes in the streets. There were lots of people out and about doing Saturday morning shopping on the main arcades of the town. We walked our bikes through some open air markets, which were selling all kinds of clothes and trinkets.

There were many people walking dogs – Italians love animals.

We found a bank machine to draw some money and a supermarket to buy supplies for our supper on the boat.

We had a ride along the waterfront, checking out the ferry terminal.

It began to rain and we quickly found shelter for ourselves and the bicycles under an awning alongside a cafe, overlooking the ferries. Their main target audience must be tourists coming off the ferry, because they overcharged us for some seafood pasta and wine. However, we did sit there for a long time, even after they closed up at 2.30pm. The rain came down heavily for a bit, so we sat tight until it cleared up. We watched the Greek ferries loading and unloading.

Later when it cleared up we had another ride around, and went to check in for the ferry at the ticket office about 1km up the road. We checked out an old fort that had art exhibitions and galleries in it.

Finally we boarded the ferry. The ferry company’s communication on where to go was terrible. Other people in the queue didn’t realise they had to check in a kilometer up the road before boarding. Kris had to try to help explain this to a Russian lady with limited English, as well as two Americans. We also met an older South African couple from Benoni in the queue. We were first told we could board with the foot passengers, only to then be sent around to board with the motorbikes.

The ferry was almost empty. I was pleased that our accommodation had a shower and no bunk beds – we paid extra for a seaward facing cabin. The ferry left a bit late after 10pm, by which time I was struggling to stay awake.